Hong Kong Housing Society
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The Hong Kong Housing Society (Traditional Chinese: 香港房屋協會) or Housing Society (房屋協會, 房協) for short, is the second largest public housing provider in Hong Kong (the first being the Hong Kong Housing Authority). HKHS is a non-governmental and non-profit organization that aims to develop housing programs for communities in need. To date, HKHS has provided over 60,000 housing units for the people of Hong Kong. The current chairman of the Hong Kong Housing Society is Yeung Ka-Sing (楊家聲) and the executive director is Wong Lai Chun (王丽珍). The society has been a pioneer in many areas regarding public housing programs.[citation needed]
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[edit] Mission statement
Hong Kong Housing Society is a non-governmental organization with a social conscience aiming at providing Hong Kong citizens with housing and other relevant services. According to its chief excutive officer, the Society strives to be a 'world class housing solution provider and innovator'.[1]
[edit] History
The Hong Kong Housing Society was established in 1948. Hong Kong, post-World War II, was in a devastating situation. One out of four people were homeless, and the population of refugees was growing at an alarming rate. In 1947, a donation of £14,000 was given by the Lord Mayor of London and the Air Raid Distress fund to help start an organization that would alleviate Hong Kong's housing problem. So far at least 67000 units have been built under different housing schemes, including: Rental Estate; Rural Public Housing ; Flat-For-Sale (Chinese:住宅发售计划): the Flat For Sale Scheme of the Hong Kong Housing Society which complements the Home Ownership Scheme; Sandwich Class Housing(Chinese:夹心阶层住屋计划): the Sandwich Class Housing Scheme of the Hong Kong Housing Society under which flats directly comparable to those built by private developers are constructed by the Hong Kong Housing Society and sold at a discount to families within determined income levels; Urban Improvement and Senior Citizen Residences;
[edit] History of rental estate development
- 1950s: The first rental estate was developed by the Housing Society, built by Sheung Li Uk.
- 1960s: Housing estate built by Kwun Lung Lau.
- 1970s: Two housing estates were built by Lai Tak Tsuen, and another one was built by Cho Yiu Chuen. The first one has a unique cylindrical design and the second one has become an award- winning rental estate for its maximization of land use and aesthetic design.
- 1980s: Two more housing estates were created by HKHS. One was the first Rural Public Housing estate contracted by Tui Min Hoi Chuen and the other one was Clague Garden Estate, the first estate under the Flat for Sale Scheme development.
- 1990s: Five housing estates were developed. The first one was Tivoli Garden and it was the first estate built under the Sandwich Class Housing Scheme. The second one was Verbena Heights, awarded by the Hong Kong Institute of Architects. The next one was Marina Habitat and different design themes were used to adapt to residential development. The fourth one was Jubilant Place and it was the Society’s largest Urban Improvement development. The last one is the Golden Jubilee Building which has multi-purpose premises for community services.
- 2000: Cayman Rise was built.
All these pictures and descriptions are edited into a simpler version. The original version is at http://www.hkhs.com/eng/info/photo.asp (Hong Kong Housing Society).
[edit] Organization and system
Hong Kong Housing Society has been established for more than 50 years. In order to serve the society better, the HKHS has more than once adjusted its governance system to the changing environment. The currently in effect structure was introduced at the end of 2000. The new system includes a new Supervisory Board and a smaller Executive Committee.
The Supervisory Board, established for over half a century, a core funtionary part run by members coming from all walks of life with the mission to serve the needs of the Hong Kong community in housing and related services.With a maximum of 25 members, it is responsible for the formulation of the organization’s core missions and guiding principles.
The Executive Committee, comprising 12 members, is responsible for deciding future policies. And it is to make sure that the policies correspond with the organization’s strategy and principles. In addition, the Committee oversees the management of the organization. An Audit Committee and a Nominating Committee are established to support the Supervisory Board.
The Remuneration Committee assists the Executive Committee in deciding compensation policies.
Housing Society Elderly Resources Centre is the business of Hong Kong Housing Society. The objectives are: Firstly, to promote the well-being of the elderly by providing appropriate advices and services to cope with their changing housing needs as a result of aging. Secondly, to raise the awareness of the elderly and those who concerned with home safety. Thirdly, to serve the housing needs of the elderly by providing one-stop referral service.[2]
[edit] Programs
The following includes some examples of programs that Hong Kong Housing Society has developed.
HKHS has done a great deal of work in providing housing services to indentify needs and developing options for a variety of needs. Since the beginning of the business, HKHS has built more than 67,000 units under different housing schemes.
- Subsidized Housing
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- Rental Housing
- Rural Public Housing
- Flat-for-Sale Schemes
- Sandwich Class Housing Scheme
- Estate Redevelopment and Land rehabilitation
- Senior Citizen Residences
- Non Subsidized Housing
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- Urban Improvement Scheme
- Full Market Value Development
- Housing Society Elderly Resources Centre[4]
- Objectives
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- To promote the well-being of the elderly by providing appropriate advice and services to cope with their changing housing needs as a result of aging
- To raise the awareness of the elderly and those concerned on home safety
- To serve the housing needs of the elderly by providing one-stop referral services
Facilities
The Centre is divided into two main service units:
- The Education & Consultation Unit
- Comprises a library, a seminar room, a consultation room and a research laboratory
- The Exhibition Unit
- Comprises an Assessment Zone, a Home Simulation Zone and a mock-up unit of the Senior Residences Scheme development.
Property management is one of the core business areas of the Hong Kong Housing Society. Apart from managing our own rental estates, we also provide management services for private properties, staff quarters and community centres. All of our rental estates have formed Mutual Aid Committees and our management staff regularly meet tenants' representatives to collect their views on estate management and services provided. Striving for continuous improvement, we work on a Performance Pledge and conduct regular surveys among the residents to evaluate the standard of our services.
Apart from developing different properties for sale to meet the home ownership aspirations of the community, the Housing Society has also implemented housing loan schemes in collaboration with the Government to help eligible people realize home ownership.
- Building Management and Maintenance Scheme[7]
The Building Management and Maintenance Scheme provides services for private building owners to learn how to manage a safe and sanitary housing environment.
- Hong Kong Housing Society Academy[8]
The Hong Kong Housing Society Academy (HS Academy) was established in early 2005 for the purpose of promoting professional development in housing and related services through academic exchanges, student internships, scholarships, bursaries and sponsorships of professional researches and seminars. The HS Academy also facilitates professional and academic exchanges between the Mainland and Hong Kong. The HS Academy provides academic exchanges, internships, scholarships, and sponsors conferences and seminars relating to housing programs and property management.
[edit] Environmental protection policies
Hong Kong Housing Society is committed to developing high-quality housing satisfying ISO environment requirements through the following principles:
Environmental Policies on Housing Development
- To consider environmental protection through the process of housing planning, design, construction and management;
- To reduce constructional waste to minimum and prevent environment pollution;
- To comply with all legal requirements concerning environmental protection;
- To enhance awareness of environmental protection to the staff and the public though education and communication;
- To set environmental improvement goals and objectives;
- To instruct the consultants and constructors about Housing Society’s environmental management system.
Environmental Policies on Property Management
- To reduce constructional waste, prevent all kinds of pollution, and protect the environment by taking positive measures;
- To comply with laws and the society’s disciplines;
- To set and revise our environmental protection goals, methods and plans;
- To encourage co-operators, joint-effort companies, residents and tenants in the promotion and practice of our environmental policies;
- To enhance awareness of environmental policies and practices among staff members, suppliers and constructors;
- To establish a supervise system to ensure the implementation of the environmental policies.
http://www.hkhs.com/eng/about/policy.asp
[edit] Awards
[edit] 2005 Hong Kong Eco-Business Awards
2005 Hong Kong Eco-Business Awards Presentation Ceremony was held on 2 March 2006 (Thursday) at Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre.
In this Awards Presentation Ceremony 2 awards were presented to HKHS.
- 2005 Green Property Management Award (Public Housing)
- Grand Award
- Hong Kong Housing Society (Lai Tak Tsuen)
- Gold Award
- Hong Kong Housing Society (Ma Tau Wai Estate)
For more detials please go to http://www.ecc.org.hk/english/core/core_detail.php?id=180. Pictures and descriptions are from this website as well.
[edit] Recent developments
Property Management Advisory Centre open in Tai Po (13/09/2006)
Hong Kong Housing Society established a new consulting center in Tai Po on September, the 13th. The new office aims at serving people in Tai Po and Shatin districts in property management and housing maintenance.
Director Mr K L Wong indicates that “Tai Po is one of the earliest developed districts with many poorly managed blocks. Therefore we establish this consulting center to meet the huge demand of property management and maintenance. Expanding our business to the New Territories districts is a milestone for our Building Management and Maintenance Scheme.”
“We have received warm reply since last year when we first promoted the Scheme. More than 1270 requests were handled up till now. Besides, we have helped land owners from more than 360 buildings organize tenant committees to supervise the management and maintenance of their building.”
Housing Society Appoints New Supervisory Board (14/09/2006)
The 54th Annual General Meeting of the Hong Kong Housing Society (HKHS) was held on September the 14th at which members of the new Supervisory Board were elected. Following the election, the first Board meeting was held to elect the new Chairman and Vice-Chairman.
The newly elected Chairman and Vice-Chairman are Mr Yeung Ka-sing and Mr Marco Wu Moon-hoi respectively. Within their three-year tenure, they will continue to lead HKHS to accomplish its social mission to provide quality housing and related services to the people of Hong Kong.
As a non-government organisation run by members, HKHS operates under a two-tier board governance structure comprising a Supervisory Board and an Executive Committee. The Supervisory Board sets the mission and guiding principles of HKHS, and oversees matters concerning nomination, election and audit. The Executive Committee approves policies proposed by the Management and monitors the performance of the Management.
Members of the Supervisory Board and Executive Committee are drawn from HKHS members and will serve a term of three years. Each year, one third of the existing members, excluding the Chairman, the Vice-Chairman, the ex-officio members and the Executive Director, shall retire on a rotational basis to maintain a balance between continuity and introduction of new blood. (resources from [9])
Hong Kong Housing Society Streamlines Business Flow with TIBCO Staffware Process Suite
[edit] See also
[edit] External links
- Hong Kong Housing Society
- Housing, Planning & Lands Bureau
- Urban Renewal Authority
- Housing Authority and Housing Department
- Hong Kong Housing Society Annual Report 2005
